Dangerous Destinations for your D&D Game!
Looking to send your characters to a place most regular folk won't go? Well, we are gonna delve into some Dangerous Destinations to terrorize your characters and their players.
This book is the sequel to Nord Games’ first world-building book, Spectacular Settlements, which focused on creating intriguing, interesting, and unique settlements such as villages, towns, and cities. A settlement can be a hub, a base of operations, somewhere to carouse, or somewhere to rest, shop, or find quests (which may or may not take place in that settlement). Dangerous Destinations, on the other hand, focuses on places that are a bit different.
A dangerous destination is not a place most regular folk would want to go (though, there are certainly some intrepid adventurers with little regard for their own safety). The realms of fantasy are full of challenge, darkness, and peril. Adventurers are, to a large degree, as admired as they are because of their willingness to go to these places, to deal with that which threatens the peace of the land. Without danger, there’s no adventure. So, what are these places, where are they, and what is happening there? That is what this book will help you discover.
Dangerous destination is made up of four pieces: the prelude, destination, environment, and danger. When these four elements are combined, they will yield a foundation upon which you can build. Each of these has their own section in the book.
1. Prelude. The prelude section is a very short section found after this introduction. Its table results can influence the general tone of your dangerous destination. This chapter ends with a table that will determine your destination type.
2. Destination. Turn to the appropriate destination-type chapter, and roll on its tables. The tables in this chapter provide details about the destination, such as its original purpose, current condition, and age.
This chapter ends with lots of tables that will determine your destination’s environment and danger.
3. Environment. Turn to the appropriate environment chapter, and roll on its tables. The tables in this chapter provide environmental details, which include how your destination is situated within the environment, as well as how the environment affects it.
4. Danger. Turn to the appropriate danger chapter, and roll on its tables. The tables in this chapter provide details pertaining to the danger present in the destination, such as its origins, aims, and/or methods.
This book contains what amounts to thousands and thousands of suggestions. If you notice a detail you don’t like, or something just doesn’t fit within the campaign setting you’re using or the area you need your dangerous destination to be in, simply change it. This applies to anything you find in a table, within an antagonist profile, or anything else. We have gone to great lengths to ensure that the information provided remains as general and widely applicable as possible, but we also know that every campaign is unique, and sometimes there are details that couldn’t have been predicted. Pick it up now and begin sending your adventurers to Dangerous Destinations.
Unearthed Tips and Tricks
Become a Patron and get a monthly magazine full of tips, inspiration, monsters and so much more.
Monster Variant: Bullywug psion
Origin: Mage
Lost features: Spell List, dagger
New Features
Amphibious. The bullywug can breathe air and water.
Speak with Frogs and Toads. The bullywug can communicate simple concepts to frogs and toads when it speaks in Bullywug.
Psychic Defense. While the bullywug is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its AC includes its Wisdom modifier.
Disorienting Bubble Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 60 ft., one creature. Hit: 20 (3d10 + 4) psychic damage. and must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the target must roll on the Short-term madness table. If they failed by 5 or more, they roll on the Long-term madness table instead.
Spellcasting (Psionics). The bullywug casts one of the following spells, requiring no spell components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 14):
At will: catapult, detect thoughts, dissonant whispers, light, mage hand, prestidigitation
2/day each: dimension door, mirror image, phantasmal force, shield
1/day each: mass suggestion, sending
Encounter: A Noble in Distress
Introduction: The party is traveling through a bustling city when they come across a commotion in the center of town. A group of ruffians has surrounded a noble, demanding payment for "protection" from the local thieves' guild. The noble, a wealthy merchant, pleads for help from the party.
Twist: As the party approaches, they realize that the noble is not as innocent as they seemed. The noble has actually been working with the thieves' guild, paying them to stage "protection" rackets and extort money from other merchants. The noble now finds themselves in hot water with the guild, as they have failed to pay their full "cut" of the profits. The noble begs the party to help them escape the city, offering a generous reward for their assistance.
The party must decide whether to help the noble or turn them into the authorities. If they choose to help the noble, they must also find a way to escape the city and outsmart the thieves' guild.
If the party helps the noble escape, they will receive a reward of 500 gold pieces.
If the party turns in the noble, they will receive a reward of 250 gold pieces from the city guard.
Magic Item: The Blade of the Endless Sky
This is a longsword with a hilt made of a shimmering blue metal and a blade that appears to be made of pure, clear sky. It is said that the blade was forged by a group of powerful celestial beings, who imbued it with the power to cut through the fabric of reality itself.
When wielded, the Blade of the Endless Sky grants the user the ability to open portals to other dimensions and planes of existence. These portals can be used to transport the user and their allies to any location they can imagine, as long as it exists within the multiverse.
"Dimension Door": This spell allows the user to instantly transport themselves and up to three willing creatures within 5 feet to any location they can see within 500 feet. This spell has a range of 500 feet and a duration of instantaneous.
"Plane Shift": This spell allows the user to transport themselves and up to eight willing creatures to a different plane of existence. The user must have a clear idea of the location and plane they wish to travel to, and the spell will only work if that plane is coexistent with the plane the user is currently on. This spell has a range of touch and a duration of instantaneous.
"Etherealness": This spell allows the user to enter the Ethereal Plane, along with any equipment they are carrying. The user can remain on the Ethereal Plane for up to 10 minutes, or until they choose to end the effect. While on the Ethereal Plane, the user is incorporeal and can pass through solid objects, but cannot interact with objects or creatures on the Material Plane. This spell has a range of self and a duration of up to 10 minutes.
However, opening these portals comes with great risk. The user must make a Wisdom saving throw every time they use the blade's portal-creating ability, with the difficulty increasing each time they use it. If the user fails the saving throw, the portal they have created becomes unstable and collapses, potentially causing harm to the user and anyone nearby.
Despite these dangers, the Blade of the Endless Sky is highly coveted by those who seek to explore the multiverse and discover new worlds. It is said that the blade will only reveal its true power to those who are pure of heart and truly dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and understanding.
Dungeon Master Tip: Create a Pantheon and Religions
Create a pantheon of deities and religions that are important to the people of your world.
This can give players a sense of the culture and belief systems of the different regions they explore. You don’t have to delve into great detail on each of the pantheon gods, but a simple one-line description can go a long way in the game. For example, following Ares, the god of war, or Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty immediately gives the players a sense of the types of people that will follow and worship them. A simple pantheon or religion is another tool to help you fill out conflict and societal structures within a world where these gods and faiths reside.
Player Tip: Don’t be a Dick Pop Bottle Cap Rings
There are a lot of conditions to track in Dungeons & Dragons, as well as in many other RPGs. It can sometimes get overwhelming when a character is poisoned, blinded, charmed, frightened, grappled, etc all at once. A really simple way to track these involves utilizing a part of a soda bottle that most people just throw away, the cap rings. Not only do these come in a variety of colors, each of which you can designate to a particular effect (green Mountain Dew for poison), but you also probably have access to dozens of them before your next game. Never forget the status of your allies or enemies. Ensure you get every bonus you can with this little trick.
Thank you for reading our blog. If you enjoy the content and want to support us, visit our store or follow us on social media, join us on discord, youtube, and leave us a review.
Keep your blades sharp and spells prepared heroes!
If you're interested in advertising with us, click here to learn more.
